And the dream is over

I want to be a little personal here. First sorry for my bad English, but I hope people will understand me anyway.

I came into SL march 2007, I read about it in the news and wanted to check it out. Since then I haven’t left it. During this time I witness when Linden Labs have tried as hard as they can do do things that will make things harder for its customers, we who pays the salary.

For me SL has in many ways become some things that I cant do in real life. In RL I am sick and many days I only manage to go to my computer and well, there I can live some sides of my life that I cant do in RL.
Kind of early I started to dream about my own sim. A sim were I could do and make what I wanted. First me and my partner back then rented I full sim and in may this year I was able to buy one for myself and I named I Seven Wonders.
The sim held a club, a mall and some other things. I wanted it to look good but also of course to bring in some money. I also got the idea to get some Watersims, I made them into archipelago theme and people liked them and wanted to live there. So I got one more and then another one, now I have 9 watersims together with Seven Wonders. People are living there, renting the parcels and the money I get In from that helps me pay for the “Big” sim.
I was from the beginning hard in my covenant about the watersims, no big scripted things, no parties, no club and so on and so on. The plan with the sims was that they should be a place for relax and fun, and it worked. People loved the privacy they could get, have 30 000 SQ meters for themselves was popular and of course the archipelago theme was perfect for this kinds of sims.
We haven’t had any problems with lag, 2 times I contacted Linden and then the lag was because of another sim not owned by me.

And now, it’s all over.

I am no rich man, my health problems and cancer makes my income low and I am not allowed to anything except the absolute most important. For me Seven Wonders was a HUGE investment and I have let my company grow slowly, many times thanks to friends in here who supported me financially.
Now I face the fact that I have to close all down, my dream, my Second Life is gone because Linden Labs once again strikes back.

My story is one of many in here, and right now many have to face the same fact as I do. We are many in SL who because of different things “live” in SL when RL fucks with us. Most of us don’t have lots of money, we are not rich but we have tried so hard to create this life, this dream, and we succeeded. My watersims was a success, I have never had any free parcels longer then 1 week and most of my renters have stayed since day one and I was proud over what I created.

Linden Labs knew this when they came up with the new landstore this spring. They knew that people would live on the sims and they didn’t care. They sold A LOT of watersims and they watched their own bank account grow. Then without any noticed in advance they publish a blog telling people that “Hey fuckers, we screwed you but we don’t give a fuck about it” They don’t even have the decency to contact us, the landowners in a mail or any other private ways. No, a blog tells us that we are done. That what they feel for us, the people who pays their salary.

Its not so hard to see why this Is happening, if you fly over the maingrid you see a lot of yellow spots, and sims. It seems that people don’t want to live on the mainland anymore and Linden have to do something about it. Now they can blame some people who overused the Watersims and punish all. Like good old Soviet Union: “If YOU acting bad, we punish YOU all” Then they become quiet, not a word, not a comment. They ignore you when you try to talk to them inworld and the support answers with frustrating words and brings up the TOS.

You can have a company and still have a heart, that is something that M Linden should try to learn the staff at Linden Labs. You can earn money without acting like J.R Ewing, and you don’t have to over and over change everything and refuse look at the consequences that this might have to some people.

Second Life is now going towards a capitalistic monopoly. Some big companies will soon be the only one who only can afford renting business in SL. Well this goes for any business. Over and over I notice how hard it is in SL to be a creative person and try to make some Lindens on it. With a classified system that cost a fortune and a traffic system that is a totally fiasko thanks to all the campers its hard for all, if you don’t have the fortune from the beginning. Take this “famous” person who creates teleporters and other things that have her own sim and have 60 alts sitting in a box in the sky making the traffic go “YAY”

So this is the end for my avatars business, this dream I had has now come to an end, and that without any respect or understanding from Linden Labs. I will survive, so will others that right now are angry and sad, but the disappointed wont go away this time.
More then once people have screamed I AM LEAVING, but Linden knows that they won’t leave. People stay in here anyway and right now Linden is just waiting until things have calmed down, like they did with the Casinos. But I do feel and hope that this time things won’t end like Linden Labs hope. I hope that people this time will continue to show the disappointment. I hope that more people will blog about this and remind Linden Labs that we, the customers, also have powers. I am not saying “Let’s start a war”, but I am saying that we have the power if Linden Labs don’t want to go bankcrupt. They have to start listen to us if they want us to stay.

Other Virtual Worlds exists and more will come, I still hope that Second Life will kick all of them because SL is also something unique but for me the line for what I can take is crossed and I think that’s sad. I do want to hope that SL will win, but God i right now have a hard time wishing the best of luck to that.

So you at Linden, if anyone of you cares to even read this, should ask yourself now. What do we want to do with SL? Do we want this to be a place for horny 18 years olds (and 55 year old) that wants to play “Lets have sex with all that moves” or do we want Second life to be what was said it should be. A place for creating dreams, and if we could earn some bucks on it that would be cool.
Or is the goal with Second Life to be a world for rich people that want to have a platform to become richer, well then you started that good I say.

The finally, you Jack Linden and the rest of Linden Labs should be ashamed. Shame on you for what you have done this time. Shame on you for the disrespect and ignorance you have shown me and so many other people. Shame on you for treating us the way you have done. You killed my dream, for that I will never forgive you.
Shame on you all.


/Walentine

I agree with you ! . i couldnt have said it better myself . I kinda understand how you feel.
My dreams were just starting off . now i lost all hope in continuing on.

Hey there Walentine,

I just read your entire post and I am sorry you are having to deal with this in addition to your health issues. I want to urge you to not make any decisions at this time and just give a day or so for LL to respond. They have not yet and I cannot begin to believe that LL will not make this right for their customers.

Meanwhile, just hang loose and do not let this affect your health. SL is not worth it. Take care.

I second what Xplorer said, with a little different twist. I think for many whose health confines them, SL IS worth it. It offers a more vibrant life than their first life can be. Particularly for those whose first life is not filled with supportive family and friends.

I have two thoughts:

1. As Xplorer said, don't give up on your current dream yet. LL may come up with a light-use sim that will suit your needs; I know people have been talking to LL about this inworld.

2. In real life, we live the dreams we can afford. Those who dream of Ferrraris find themselves in a Mustang instead, and discover that they are damn fun little cars. Perhaps you will not be able to afford the exact SL dream you are currently living ... so make a new dream! There is no real place where you can re-invent yourself overnight as you can in SL. And there are SO many ways to have fun and contribute - ways that don't involve more than a small plot of land.
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You said it much better! Thanks!

Well said and I believe we all (or at least most of us) agree with you. We emptied some of our openspace sims we have tonight - that was sad even thought we are just returning 3 of the 8 we have. like you a full surrounded by opens to make it somewhere to relax and enjoy. We are not returning these just yet to see what LL come back with - but we are ready to do so at the last minute of needs be.

Walentine, I sympathize with you and understand and feel your hurt and pain. SL was the stuff of which dreams were made. Dreams which we have made into a reality are difficult to let go. That is why many of us are lashing out at LL now. We built our dreams upon sand. As I ride my horse, the horse that I created here, over the open land of my OS, I feel a great sadness. The OS sim made it possible for me to create a place dear to my heart, and to give shape and form to my horses. You have created a wondrous thing, and not only that, you shared it with others to enjoy. You can be proud of what you have built. Creation takes many forms. Creation is not limited to the artist behind the easel or the sculptor forming the clay with her hands. The one aspect of SL that draws me back to it each day is the idea that this is another day that I can create something; something from nothing. It is an amazing concept and seeing the fruits of our labors is extremely gratifying. Having someone else actually purchase that creation from us in order to enjoy it is icing on the cake. It is an honor that they actually want to share ones creation. Sadly, LL has either not really read the forum posts of the folks who are really hurting inside. If they have read those posts, and feel nothing, then they have no heart. In my way of thinking, LL's silence thus far, speaks volumes. They will most likely not back off of their decision. More than likely I shall have to pack my creations away, just in time for Christmas. I had such high hopes of the fun of decorating, with a tree, snow on the ground, and bare branched trees laden with snow. Now when I look around at my place, it is a sad place. I wish for you to experience the peace of the coming holidays. It will be bittersweet. Remember the good times.

When I came across this thread, it sparked a memory of the following poem, which seems appropriate to add here...

HAD I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

W.B. Yeats (1865–1939)
"He Wishes For the Cloths of Heaven"
from the Collected Works of W.B. Yeats

Linden Labs, please try to tread more softly...

As the others have said, and very well, don't give up hope yet. I am at best pessimistic..but I hate to see dreams fade away..mine is also about to do just that but am sitting in a holding pattern for the moment ..hoping against hope that the crooks that run SL might stop and reconsider - it may be unlikely..I may be a dreamer but not willing to let mine die just yet and you shouldn't either..just give it a few days..then we will all have to make our decisions..*warm hug*

The unofficial anthem of SL in its early days was "Imagine".

You may say I'm a dreamer
but I'm not the only one

Remember, Philip? Perhaps it's time for a motivational chat from the Chairman. There must be a viable way to create a low-cost service offering for dreamers and nonprofits.
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after 3 years i am closing my doors. i feel like walentine, i started second life in febuary of 2006, i was in a wheelchair and couldn't get around much. SL was perfect i could run around and play. most importantly i could be creative here.... so i started a business.
i started my home company from 1 little picture vendor out of a friends small shop and built it up over the years. my company remained small happily catering to people who didn't want cookie-cutter homes. our dream was to one day own a sim, but we couldn't afford it. these low prim sims came along at a reasonable price...we waited. watching to see how these openspaces would turn out. they did well and seemed to have no problems so we purchased one through a land dealer. IT was perfect, i needed space not the prims.
We continued happily it seemed a perfect fit, even when the economy got scary we could still afford to keep it.
NOW we are being told that we abused our sims (they gave more prims cause they didn't sell) nothing was supposed to be on them. their website said light use, but never defined light use ( now it does...). we must pay 67% more in teir to cover this ABUSE.
i can't afford this....and i can't go back to mainland cause it costs more per month with a paid account and teir than it did to pay tier only on a sim.....strange huh?

i checked my files and there are 2,479 people who have purchased homes from me over the years that have lifetime warrenties on thier homes.....where will i be if they need help???

i have no choice but to close my doors for good abandon my sim and let go all my employee's. sadly all the smaller businesses i give free rent to will have to close as well.


when it's all said and done will anybody but big corperations survive in SL? this is only a first step.... LL will raise teirs on all land if this works.all the artist ppl and businesses will close, remember your inventory when u started SL? get used to it cause that's all that will be available when all of our businesses close.

All well said.


If not now, when? If not us, who?

Thousands of SL residents will suffer under this new LL ruling on Openspace sims. If you are one of them, or know one of them, and they are moral, support them. Write a message to every Linden you can find on search, and IM them a copy of it; put the message in a notecard and drop it in all of their profiles; post the message to this forum, with additional comments; post your message ini Jira; open LL trouble tickets and post your message; find blogs about SL and post your message there again and again.

Define the message and repeat it to all who will listen and to all who will not.

It worked for Gandhi.

Give it a shot.